


Dust

by ozomin



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Brief Sexual Content, Gen, M/M, drug mention, monster au, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-05 02:19:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12784827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozomin/pseuds/ozomin
Summary: Yixing tries his best to get everyone out of prison alive, Baekhyun may or may not be trying to help him.





	Dust

**Author's Note:**

> For BaekxingFest ~  
> Prompt #92: Monster!au - After being imprisoned and forced to work for their captors, the 9 of them have been planning their escape and rebellion. However, No.10 is suspicious that No.04, his - what are they? - *something*, is betraying them.  
> To my prompter: I hope you enjoy it~  
> Thank you to the mods for putting up with me and making this a wonderful experience~  
> To my pcy: you got me through the end there and through the struggle <333

Chanyeol squats down in front of the jumbled mess of wires, picks at a leaking battery and skinned copper. He holds it up in front of his face, sniffs at it. 

He scrunches his nose, "Premature detonation," He says, more to himself than Baekhyun who's standing behind him, arms crossed. As if the sniff really gave him information. 

"I could have guessed that much," Baekhyun frowns, kicks gently at a few stray pieces of dislodged asphalt flooring. The half gone warehouse they're standing in smells heavily of smoke sharp and drifting somewhere above their heads now. 

"Then why ask," Chanyeol huffs, "I'm not even the expert," he stands, arms open, confrontation like. "They could have brought Jongdae Hyung, he could tell you more."

Baekhyun huffs too, albeit more in irritation than petulance. "I could have told you that too," he begins tapping his foot. "Please tell me they're around here."

Chanyeol shrugs, "Baekhyun, listen." He swallows, fists his hands. "I know this is a bad situation--"

"It is," Baekhyun jaw goes tense. "But we really can't discuss that right now," he says quickly, gestures to the wire taped beneath his shirt, there's a matching one beneath Chanyeol's. He goes quiet just as fast. 

"I think," Chanyeol says instead, "that even with my more limited knowledge, that explosive, while simple, was planted not too long ago, they should be close." He runs a hand through his hair, red, angry. 

"Let's go,"

They squeeze between buildings pressed so close barely strays could fit. Chanyeol's grunting as he eases himself through a tight corner and a brick wall, Baekhyun slid through easily enough. And where they can fit, the alleys are littered with split open trash bags and dumpsters that haven't been taken out in weeks, in the close quarters, the smell is thick and Baekhyun dry heaves once as they pass through it, Chanyeol pinches his nostrils together with his fingers. The ground is grainy cement, deep and darkened with little sunlight, littered with used syringes and crumpled beer cans, food wrappers that rustle when the stray breeze pushes through. Chanyeol can't help but to squat down when he sees a stray cat, the poor thing looks emaciated, its coat matted. But Chanyeol still meows at it, still smiles at it. He pats his pocket for any food out of habit but quickly remembers he has none. 

Baekhyun makes a noise through his gritted teeth, sharp inhale through his nose and Chanyeol straightens up, his eyes still linger just a moment longer on the animal before he steps away and moves forward, lips pressed in a straight line. 

The faster they get this done the faster they can get back, Baekhyun feels nausea bubble in his stomach and not from the back alleys. He settles his sight on the ragged holes on the back of Chanyeol's sweater.

Baekhyun's mouth is stiff, from the busted lip and there's a slight limp in Chanyeol's step -- he's still achey from the tasers. 

Baekhyun readjusts the wire scratching his chest and hopes they can escape as quickly and as painlessly as possible.

"Hey--!" Chanyeol shouts so loud Baekhyun's brought back to the task at hand. "Wait, we're not officers hold on!"

Baekhyun turns on his heel, he catches the swift glimpse of black clothes through a large opening in the wall. 

Chanyeol's big, big enough he's still reasonably grounded the moment he's tackled. Chanyeol stumbles back onto his back foot with a rumbling grunt when he takes the shoulder to his gut. 

Baekhyun notices the glint in the man's pocket before Chanyeol does. He pitches forward a half step, slings both his hands around the man's reaching arm and twists it back as far as he can. The man staggers back, far enough Chanyeol can connect his fist to their cheek hard enough both the man and Baekhyun topple to the ground. The knife skitters to rest at Chanyeol's feet. 

"--you're fucking snitches--"

Baekhyun recognizes him, a no name -- well, Jun, actually, from a group down in Busan. They've scrambled up into Seoul already?

Chanyeol's breathing hard, "What makes you think that?" He grits his teeth. Baekhyun sees the minute flex of his arm, as if he were about to grab the knife like he usually would-- they're not allowed weapons-- and Chanyeol remembers in that split second and kicks it away instead. 

"Kim Junmyeon," Jun spits, "he was one of the first taken away wasn't he? It spread south as soon as it happened, there's no hope for the rest of you once he's gone--"

"Listen," Baekhyun leans a bit closer, draws his lips a bit tighter, "No one was taken away, we're still moving product into China as normal. We're still fighting," 

Chanyeol crosses his arms, body a long lanky "S", "What group are you from anyway?" He counts the unhinged lamps that line the cieling, an old factory, half the building is missing, the sun dappling their faces through the bare roof boards. 

Jun narrows his eyes, "Jeonju," he says quieter. He rubs at his aching cheek. "I don't know anything, higher ups are asking where the products gone and yet you two insist--"

Baekhyun doesn't bother to correct him, not yet. 

"We're here as warning," Chanyeol says, "they're close by, one of our routes isnt viable anymore," he says easily, well he's not lying but the lie is putting them at risk. 

"--But not close enough you should worry quite yet," Baekhyun cuts in, "we're just here to negotiate," he looks intimidating, face carefully nuetral, lips oh so persuasive. "all we need is a better mode of access to your group's location. We quarter the product, you ship your portion to Japan, of course after you've taken your cut, we send ours on the next steam liner to Baoshan for distribution and everything's good isn't it?" Baekhyun has a manner of speaking, it comes with the territory, that brokers no argument when he's negotiator. 

Jun swallows, clearly put off by the shift in demeanor. Chanyeol narrows his eyes. He squats down in front of them both, sleeves of his sweater tumble further over his hands when he rests them over his knees.

"I know you value the protection of your group, so we won't ask for where your leader is right away, not until--" Chanyeol starts, beginning to settle.

"Until what?" Baekhyun says sharply.

"He already told us he's from Jeonju, what more do you need?" Baekhyun can see the muscles in Chanyeol's temple tense. 

"Valid directons, ones that bipass the checkpoints. You know Jeonju is swarmed already, he's lying--" Baekhyun hisses and Chanyeol visibly flinches. But he's quick to gather himself, flinging his arms out.

"He's already told us Baekhyun stop pushing--"

"They're stationed in Busan--" Baekhyun pushes back, "but they've clearly already moved somewhere else--"

"Baekhyun stop--" Chanyeol's already shouting, "Jun-- get out-- we're being watched--"

So many things happen at once Baekhyun's disoriented. What's left of the building is flooded with a dozen pitch black swat suits--all of them dusty and worn-- guns drawn. With a crack Jun's shot in the shoulder, then rapidly wrestled further into the dirt. 

Chanyeol's breathing so hard Baekhyun's trying to focus on it to calm himself down. He's lurched back, his ears are ringing as he watches almost in silence as Chanyeol is pulled back away from him by someone else. 

Baekhyun loses sight of Jun the moment the shouting reaches his ears. Barks of "Stay down!" have Baekhyun's heart jolting in his chest and he starts thrashing. His body writhing while he trembles. A large hand grabs the back of his neck and he's pushed forward, stumbles onto his knees but even that doesn't stop the man from shoving him forward. 

Forwards, back to that tinted black van. 

He spots the masks, the black box kits. He shuts his eyes.

...

The door creaks as it's opened and Minseok perks his head up as Baekhyun stumbles in on shaky legs, alone. 

Before he can act, Yixing is there, pulling him forward, glances at the clang of the door locking shut. Yixing pushes him gently down onto the metal bench, it's cold. 

Baekhyun goes easily. So easily. 

"Baekhyun?" Yixing is kneeling in front of him, looking up into Baekhyun's face. He's squeezed his eyes shut tightly enough there's an ache buidling in his sinuses, he's visibly shaken but otherwise as unscathed as he can be. "Are you okay? Where's Chanyeol?" 

The breath Baekhyun lets out is rattling. Sehun, seated at the table's bench with Kyungsoo, makes a noise. Kyungsoo pats at his knee. 

"You can tell us," Minseok makes his way closer to them, "if you know," he sits next to Baekhyun, careful to leave space between them. 

"He tipped them off, I-I thought I could save it-they pulled him away from me--" his bottom lip is trembling, his busted swollen bottom lip. Inflamed and red from where the piercings where violently ripped away just yesterday when they were captured.

Yixing's mouth forms an 'O' but he does not voice it. 

"Chanyeol will be fine," Minseok says simply because any other possibility isn't worth voicing. Isn't worth crushing them all. "He'll come back to us,"

"Baekhyunnie," it's Jongdae, he stands from their mess of blankets on the floor, squeezes Jongin's arm before standing. "What is this I hear about explosives? I heard someone mention it as they were distributing food earlier," his voice so careful, almost small, it scares Minseok. 

Baekhyun's eyes open and he takes in the scratches on Yixing's cheek, floor scuffs, he was forced down onto the ground pretty hard. 

"I think they've found more explosives than they're letting on. They've only told us about the one, but I can tell they're concerned. They're not constructed well enough to warrant any decisive action-- Chanyeol said they'd gone off prematurely. One of the bodies in the van, I could barely see but he was wearing bomb disposal gear--"

"Maybe they'll let me go next time -- shit, I need to look at it on my own--"

"They'll never let you near one Jongdae," Yixing says, he gently pats at Baekhyun's lip with a cloth. "It'd be a risk on their part and I don't think they'd take it. Chanyeol--" Yixing sighs deep in his chest, "Chanyeol has enough knowledge to prove them useful without the liability," 

Jongdae's face falls, he clutches his fist. He knows Yixing is right, but no one feels any better. 

The absence of Chanyeol is evident even as their dinner portions are pushed messily through the door slot. Not enough rice and what they do have is undercooked and chewy.

Baekhyun is otherwise silent, he picks at his piece of bread, passes the rest of it to Sehun who accepts it with furrowed brows. 

"You should be eating Hyung," Sehun says thoughtful, even bothers to pout because he knows Baekhyun has a soft spot for it. When Baekhyun doesn't bite, Sehun sighs and passes the extra piece to Jongin who takes it with little fight. 

Minseok makes sure the tray of food is at the center of the table, waits for them to pull at their portions of bread, rice and pickled vegetables before taking his own. Yixing doesn't seem to have an appetite but Minseok presses some pickled eggplant into some bread and into his hands. 

"Eat," he says, turning around to lean his back up against the edge of the table. At this angle, Yixing's body blocks the view of his face from the camera set up in the corner, they counted the flicker of red as they fell asleep last night. 

Yixing swallows and stares down the food in his hand like it's insulted him, Kyungsoo on his other side is still adamant at getting Baekhyun to eat something.

"Yixing," Minseok still murmurs, still so quiet. "We have to find Junmyeon first, before anything else,"

Yixing nods, at last he takes a bite of the food in his hand, the ginger is overpowering and the bite to his tongue makes him grimace. 

"I agree, but there's nothing we can do until we learn more information about this place--" his lips are barely moving. 

"--I was with Jongdae, and they're considering searching Gangnam for evidence, which I guess logically that's where they trapped us, but it's too close to where we keep the trucks."

Yixing simply nods along, clearly more thoughtful than anything. "Luckily we were in Gangnam and not Jongno then." He chews at a bit of bread, makes his way around the bits that aren't touching the eggplant. 

"If they find that while we're in custody, that's it for us," Minseok tries not to sound as worried as he is. 

Yixing shrugs, "They won't." 

Minseok nods between a slow chew, "We might be lucky, apparently their funding is slashed, they just might not have the resources and judging by this food, I don't think they were lying--"

"They'll just pass our case onto some officials in Gangbuk," Yixing says, "this is more," he pauses, "involved than we'd like--" 

"We just-- can't risk anymore separation," Minseok sounds tired, he reaches with one hand to tug gently, affectionately at Yixing's sweater hem. 

"We won't. If we can help it," Yixing musters up some kind of smile. One that's meant to be reassuring but it comes out a bit stilted, he hopes Minseok understands the sentiment. "maybe if we're lucky they'll choose me for the next run,"

Minseok presses his lips together. 

By now, Jongin's leaning, cheek pressed to the table top more dejected than a few minutes ago. Sehun is rubbing his back with one hand and dividing up what's left on the tray because this is better than nothing.

Minseok huffs and shifts to sit up, his face no longer obscured effectively ending the conversation. 

After a rather insistent push of the tray further and further into Baekhyun's space by Kyungsoo, Baekhyun eats what's left. Or he tries at least, there's still a half bun of bread and a small handful of pickled eggplant left. No one mentions it, but they know they're saving it. There was never enough to feed the seven of them that were present sufficiently but they divided it up as well as they could. 

It's just Baekhyun at the table now, with Yixing across from him. Yixing scratches his nape, presses his lips together the same way Minseok did. The same amount of concern and indecision. 

There isn't much he can say if Baekhyun isn't ready to discuss and he's willing to wait. Yixing simply puts one foot forward gently touches the toe of Baekhyun's boot with his own. 

Baekhyun pulls his foot back. 

Kyungsoo's unfolding the blankets now across the floor, there's only one bed that can fit two of them at most. On the first night they'd given it to Sehun, even though he didn't look like it, he'd been the most shaken. That morning before both Baekhyun and Chanyeol were pulled from their cell, Jongin had found his way into the bed with him. After all it was the gun to Jongin's head that warranted Sehun's complete surrender just hours before. 

Jongdae's helping layer the thin cloths to create as much padding as possible while keeping one or two to use on top when the cell shudders open and Chanyeol's shoved right into the space before it's closed just as quickly.

Sehun's the first up, almost jumping from his seat on the edge of the bed. Whether it be on his own volition or not, Chanyeol stumbles right into Sehun who bares his weight easily enough. Whether it be the way his limbs move in delirium or deliberately, the way he pushes off Sehun in frustration sets them all immediately on edge. They can all see him clearly under the yellow tint of the lights now. His left eye looks like it's sporting a bruise, as are his cheeks. There's a flash of finger print bruises around his throat from beneath the torn collar of his shirt. 

His aggression begins and ends there however, he sways dangerously and Sehun takes him back against him when he doesn't speak with no hesitation. 

Baekhyun's staring pointedly at his own lap, avoiding the situation all together. 

Sehun with the help of Jongdae props Chanyeol up against the back wall, his ass nestled in their blankets. Yixing looks at him too while the others peer over his shoulders. With the lack of ice or any pain killers, all Yixing can do is wipe off any blood he sees and make sure nothing's been broken. He slides one hand so gently up against the side of Chanyeol's face, he leans into it immediately. 

"We're all here. You're safe with us now." 

Chanyeol draws in a breath that blisters up his throat, he goes taut briefly before finally slumping in rest. 

Yixing brushes his thumb against the apple of Chanyeol's cheek before pulling his hand away. 

"Do you know where you are?" It's Minseok that asks and Chanyeol's head perks in his direction.

"Yes," his breathing is uneven. 

"Does your head hurt?" It's Jongin peeking over Jongdae's shoulder. 

Chanyeol's eyes swivel back to look at him. "I just think it's a headache." 

"Alright," Yixing deems him responsive enough, "You need to rest Chanyeol." With Sehun's help, they settle him down first with a resolve to check on him every hour to two before they too resolve to get some sleep.

The lights go off fifteen minutes later. 

Yixing drifts in and out of sleep for the next few hours, some of them are murmuring, perhaps checking in on Chanyeol, once or twice he hears someone taking a piss in the other corner of the room. At long last everything is silent. 

It's nearing morning perhaps, the sun still hasn't risen but Yixing can feel it's been long enough. It's cold. Jongin's curled against his left side asleep and warm on his arm. 

Perhaps he'd felt him stir because Baekhyun is sliding his hand up Yixing's shirt and breathing soft on his right cheek. 

"Do you think we've forgotten why we're rebels?" Baekhyun mumbles against his cheek, breath hot. 

It takes Yixing what seems like minutes to answer, maybe if he waits long enough Baekhyun will fall back asleep. 

"Merely sidetracked," Yixing chooses to say. He feels Baekhyun's finger twitch against his chest. They'd all given up everything to become what they were. They became criminals to their own state for questioning the implemented system. Their own reputations torn to shreds by the media and Yixing still wonders why that's the wrong thing to do. They'd have starved if they didn't do anything. If they didn't sell the drugs. 

"But is this all still worth it?" 

Yixing draws in a breath that shudders the same way Chanyeol's did after he was beat to shit. 

"Yes," Yixing breathes with no hesitation. "why, do you have any better ideas?" 

Baekhyun presses his warm palm across Yixing's ribcage. "Not really, I don't think they'd ever take us back after everything," Baekhyun says honestly, his lips are dry, they scratch against the tender scabbed skin of his cheek. 

Yixing chuckles, Baekhyun's hand jumping gently in time with the gentle shaking of his body. "They'd just turn us in again." 

"They don't have sons anymore." Baekhyun agrees, he mouths wet on Yixing's jaw. "we were born to be rebels and nothing else." 

Jongin nestles further into his side, lets out a tired huff of breath, but otherwise remains asleep. 

Yixing pauses again, shuts his eyes and the darkness looks the same, but the feel of Baekhyun's lips against his throat is stronger, a wisp of breath that makes the back of his neck tingle uncomfortably. 

He notes the almost angry tone in Baekhyun's voice, the way it stays so effortlessly apathetic. 

Unapologetic.

In the end he can only hum in response.

The first little lick of Baekhyun's tongue is light, barely there on his earlobe. 

"We have to get out as soon as possible." Yixing ventures forward, Baekhyun's touch is just another draft from that small window up towards the ceiling. Just another breath from one of the others.

Even if he does turn his head to breath Baekhyun in regardless.

Nothing to worry about. 

Baekhyun withdraws his hand. Withdraws his breath. His warmth. 

"We can't do much else." 

He turns his back to Yixing and goes to sleep. 

...

Yixing focuses solely on Junmyeon's eyes instead of the jostling of the truck. Junmyeon's almost serene there in his handcuffs as they string wires under his shirt. 

Maybe Yixing just imagines the minute tremble in his bottom lip. 

Having been woken that morning and taken away with little preamble, he'd thought he'd been chosen alone for this run after seeing the last one. Yixing had been shoved into the van only to find Junmyeon already there. 

He'll have to check on Chanyeol later. 

They have yet to tell Yixing anything, no angry gurgles from beneath those dusty protective masks. The only one Yixing can make eye contact with is Junmyeon, not that he's complaining. 

Junmyeon's looking more or less the same, Yixing hasn't seen him since they were all taken. Judging by his lack of injuries, he appears to have been cooperating as well as he could in his position. 

The van slopes and drones eventually slows to a stop, it's almost been an hour maybe, Yixing's lost track of the time. With rough hands they string a matching wire beneath his own shirt before opening the doors and pushing the both of them out before shutting them again. 

Yixing gives Junmyeon a concerned expression. 

"It's Bucheon," he says, "we're here to pick up some documents from an informant."

Yixing narrows his eyes, "That's it? Why not just send me alone--" Junmyeon's already pushing him forward, along a paved residential area, it's still and sparse of people. The roads are narrow where the houses are crowded together, one after another. A car could still fit, but not without its risk.

Junmyeon's walking swiftly, leading them closer and closer towards the sheltered booths of a local market. Yixing's beginning to divide his attention between the smells of cooking meat and fish and glutinous rice and the fact that Junmyeon's barely spoke. 

But Yixing trusts him enough to not push it. If Junmyeon has something to tell him, he'll find a way to tell him. 

Unfortunately, Junmyeon leads them around the market, small paths that don't hit the main street, instead of cooked meals Yixing counts bittermelon and guavas stacked on textured tarp and carts. Junmyeon makes a hard left, almost bumping into an elderly woman in dated sweater; he bows quickly in apology before moving on. Yixing knows they stick out, dark worn through clothing, the complete opposite of a pair of beaded satin pants Yixing catches on a passing clothes rack for half off. 

Junmyeon stops at the corner of a cart stacked full with lotus and taro root so abruptly Yixing almost knocks into him. Yixing watches Junmyeon tap the shoulder of the presumed owner, a younger man in a pale apron and rimless glasses. The owner gives him an expectant look and Junmyeon's eyes go wide briefly before he pats his pockets and pulls out a five thousand won note and hands it over. The owner reaches beneath the cash register counter for a sealed manila envelope and passes it to Junmyeon. 

"Gangnam is crowded, it's best if you head back before rush hour." The owner says casually, loud enough one of their microphones picks it up. 

Junmyeon fidgets, a little twitch of his finger against the envelope before he pulls on Yixing's sleeve and they're moving again. 

They're not going back the way they came.

Yixing can hear the rushing of cars the farther they walk, as soon as they're out of sight of the market, Yixing takes Junmyeon's free hand in his own, slows them both down into a slower pace.

"Are you okay?" Yixing draws each character into the skin of Junmyeon's palm. It's soft. 

Junmyeon turns his head to look at him. He hums, it sounds slightly bitter. 

"Are you safe?" 

"More or less," Junmyeon says out loud, "we'll reach the van in about nine minutes." He fidgets again and picks up his pace. 

The side of the road is crowded with business men and women, cyclists and students. The intersection is drowning everything out. 

Junmyeon pulls Yixing to him, right up against his ear he says, "Don't worry about me, keep the others safe-- stay focused, the cameras are on but they do not record--no audio either-- stay careful." His voice is a rush of breath, even when he places his palm right over Yixing's microphone beneath his shirt. 

"We don't know what to do--" Yixing breathes.

"We'll figure it out," Junmyeon smiles even then, "you've always been good at knowing what to do in my absence-- now is no exception." 

...

Next morning's breakfast is much of the same, something pickled that they'd stopped identifying at that point. Chanyeol looks worse, the bruises are yellowing and his eye is swollen and sad looking but he's at the least rested and strong enough to get up on his own and squeeze around the table with the rest of them. 

Jongdae's in the middle of mentioning how he smells smoke when the door opens again and Yixing is taken again, Yixing stands ready to taken alone when one of them barks for Baekhyun too. 

This time watching Baekhyun sit across from him in the van makes Yixing feel more on edge. His lips are still a little swollen, the piercing holes having healed over and closed by now. He looks exceptionally plain, skin more pallid than usual, his eyes look blue in the window reflections. There's still pins in his ears, untouched, a mere echo of what he was a few days ago. 

They go through the same procedure, wires strung through beneath their clothing. This time Yixing gets to hear them say that should they try anything punishment will be even worse. Yixing watches them hand Baekhyun an earpiece, Baekhyun's jaw tenses when he presses it inside his own ear. 

They're on the road most of the morning, driving south. Baekhyun's pushed over to Yixing's side as the men decide to speak in low voices to each other. Yixing can't hear them over the tires speeding over the asphalt which he guesses is the idea. 

"I'll be doing most of the talking I figure," Baekhyun says just as low as the other men, with the packs still off Baekhyun can sneak in a few words. He still staring at his lap, perhaps hoping Yixing catches the words.

He does. 

Yixing nods even though Baekhyun's not looking at him. 

"Alright." 

As Baekhyun guessed, he's expected to get them past the front lines of an alleged rebel meeting center. A series of deep built apartments nestled behind a bland horde of insurance offices in the Deokjin prefecture of the sprawling Jeonju. 

And Baekhyun does it. 

As easily as anything. He knows some of the bigger rebel figures, if only by name, but he spindles those names, weaves them around missing finances, around expectant pay back even if it means giving them up for it, he's the double double agent Yixing knew he could be without much manipulation. Baekhyun does not force a meeting, he uses the missing finances as a means of sliding right into their priorities, after all, "How do you expect us to fund the next protest? What do you expect we do? Is this all ridiculous? Should we just turn ourselves in if no one's taking this seriously anymore?" 

Yixing tries not to stop him, clutches his own sleeves to stop himself. 

"Just tell me if they're back there, I'm sure they have better explanations than this." 

This Jeonju building had been one of the last safehouses for the rebels here. 

"They are." 

Yixing watches the dozen suits swarm the building, watches one of them whip past both him and Baekhyun and wrestle the man to the ground. 

There's a gunshot. 

Baekhyun jumps, his lids fluttering briefly shut. He digs his fingers into his own arm and his mouth falls gently open. 

"Baekhyun," Yixing says. The rest of the black suits have already rushed further into the building. "let's go." 

There's more gunshots, the sharp spit of a silencer. 

"You go," Baekhyun steps forward, his legs tremble, he grabs onto Yixing's sleeve, slips his mouth right up against Yixing's ear. "find us something useful." 

Yixing speeds past rooms crammed full with couches and bottled water, he downturns drawers and finds small pistols and knives, those wouldn't be useful enough. He's in the middle of riffling through a paper stuffed file drawer when his foot hits something with little give on the floor. He only has to glance at the blood splatter across the front of the blanket to know what's under there. 

Yixing rolls the body out of the way, he grabs the stem of the lamp and smashes it to the ground, he doesn't need anyone noticing him moving around in here. 

He pushes the couch with his hip, it hits the wall with a thud. Yixing pulls off the cushions, more knives, there's a baseball bat nestled against the bottom back rail. Behind the couch is yet another mess of papers, Yixing catches the glint of copper wiring shoved under the low window sill. 

It's small, built into the bottom of what looks like a velvet ring box. Yixing's seen enough of them to know what it is. Watched Jongdae tinker around enough to know that this, this at last could be useful. Yixing stuffs the small box into his pocket, and one of the pistols into his boot. 

It couldn't have been more than five minutes, Yixing knows this compound is at least three floors thick. He makes his way back to the front office, Baekhyun is curled up on the floor against the wall and Yixing hurries to him thinking he's injured. 

"Baekhyun?" Yixing places one of his hands on the side of Baekhyun's face. 

Baekhyun shuts his eyes, "I'm fine." his body is shuddering but Yixing knows better when and when not to push him. 

"Let's go back to the van. You can rest there and they can take us back." 

Yixing blinks back the sting in his eyes and helps Baekhyun up and hopes that they haven't just fucked up everything. 

Yixing doesn't want to see the arrests.

Or the bodies. 

As Yixing guessed, the moment they're reabsorbed, they're taken back. Baekhyun spends the ride as close to him as possible, the press of his thighs is warm. It hides the small bulge of the box Yixing hadn't told him about yet. 

Yixing curls his hand around Baekhyun's as if in idle while he stares out of the window. 

He writes "one" over and over again with his finger.

Yixing does not expect them to take each of them one at a time. He also does not expect Baekhyun not to be there when he's finally brought in.

Minseok raises an eyebrow when Yixing enters, he waits until the door is closed, the sound of the lock doesn't make him as anxious anymore.

As if switching spots, it's now Minseok looking up at him, patting his arms down, looking for bruises and other injury.

"Where's Baekhyun?" 

Yixing's eyes search the room, the rest of them are there. He narrows his eyes. 

"He was brought in first. I expected him to be here--" 

"Yixing," Minseok eases him down onto the one bed. He barely sinks in the firm of the small mattress. Chanyeol's lying down behind him, he brushes Yixing's wrist with the tips of his fingers. 

"He'll come back too." 

Yixing nods defeated.

"Do you feel any better?" Yixing turns to look at Chanyeol he follows Yixing with his eyes well. 

"I know I look like shit but I’m fine Hyung really," Chanyeol says. He smiles wide, his cracked lips breaking. 

Yixing can only sigh in response, he pats Chanyeol's arm back. 

"Jongdae--" Yixing stands, orients himself with his back to the camera. "Come here." 

Jongdae stands up from his spot at the bench between Sehun and Kyungsoo, his head tilted curiously. 

"I think I found something we could use," he says quieter as he sits down. Jongdae follows him to the floor, cross legged in front of each other. Minseok joins at Yixing's side with Jongin not bothering to hide his own curiosity. 

Jongdae gives him an expectant look, he watches Yixing pull the box from his pocket with gentle fingers.

His eyebrows rise, "Oh, you shouldn't have Hyung," Jongdae claps his hands together. Jongdae takes it from him, makes sure to open it in front of Yixing's body to keep it hidden. "Oh, even better." His eyes practically light up.

"Oh," Yixing remembers, "Minseok Hyung, take this." he digs the small pistol out of the side of his boot and passes it like a handshake, it's completely hidden between their palms. Minseok mouths a thank you. 

The next few days none of them are taken. Chanyeol's interest in the inner workings of the small bomb comes to the advantage of Jongdae who's almost hidden completely behind his body at the right angle. Jongdae fiddles with it whenever he's not eating. He pulls all the pieces apart, the crude batteries, the small wires, the slip of a conductor. He separates what's useful and what's not. There's one sliver of metal lodged in the bottom of the box that Jongdae picks out with his nail. It's strong enough to be a lock pick with little manipulation. Jongdae says he doesn't need it so he gives it to Yixing to use when the time is right. 

Jongdae's in the middle of whining about his lack of detail tweezers when he says that the smoke the other day felt electrical, like burning cables, even stocks it up to the fact that this facility is literally falling apart with the lack of upkeep. 

"What I'm saying," Jongdae says from behind Chanyeol's arm, "is that we could easily irritate the problem," he smiles. 

Baekhyun still hasn't returned. 

It's on the third day that Yixing says he's gonna look around a bit when the coast is clear. 

Minseok knows he can't completely discourage him, they need information and the faster they have it the faster they can solidify an escape plan. 

"Just don't be reckless." Minseok is telling him over breakfast. The rice is overcooked this time, overplump, mushy even. Jongin's pressing it into paste between his fingers and teasing Chanyeol with it. 

"It's like ointment Hyung--"

"Fuck off--" 

"Just locate them," Minseok continues, he gathers some of the beansprouts, they're a bit bland, and pushes them towards Yixing's portion of the tray. "Then come straight back." 

"Of course." 

...

It takes Yixing with Sehun's help, four more days to observe and pin down the movements of the guards on their floor. 

The lock ticks open, and all them snap to attention. Yixing spends the first night leaning up against the door, simply listening for sounds. On the second night, Yixing is the first one to venture out. Sehun watches his movements from the barred window. He's even got the pistol in his pants pocket if things go downhill quickly, ready to bail Yixing out if it comes to that.

However, things are silent, Yixing counts and notes the positions of the cameras before returning to the cell just a moment later. They'll go a bit further each night. On the third night, Sehun locates electrical. He's able to describe some of the noticeably bare wires and the rest of the room pretty well to Jongdae who tells him where the bomb should go to create the most damage. 

On the fourth night, a bit of a ways further down the hall, Yixing thinks he's found the dim lit row of solitary cells. Each door has a small cloudy fiberglass window set in about three quarters of the way up. 

Yixing peers into each window, shuts his eyes against the prone bodies and the eerily still ones as he makes his way quietly. There was a moment during observation that Yixing realized they'd be running on a certain amount of luck. 

Finding them is worth it. 

The deeper he goes down the hall, the dimmer the lights seem to get. The bare bulbs hang on cords from the ceiling. They swing a bit, cast old faded shadows on the walls and rust doors. 

His view through one of the windows stops him in his tracks, the lock pick already clenching between his fingers. Yixing gives the rest of the hall a quick glance. He hopes Junmyeon understands. 

Yixing's slipping the metal into the lock in the next breath. He's closing the door just as quietly behind him in the next. 

"Junmyeon Hyung-- you just missed him," Baekhyun says facing away from him. He's sitting on the bed, his blankets and shirt pooled around his waist. The curve of his back is halfway to bony. Untouched. He stretches one of his hands over his head, arches his back. "You'll have to settle for me." 

Yixing clutches the lock pick again. He does a quick sweep of the room, the equally as dim lighting, it fills Baekhyun's shoulder blades with shadow, the small of his back. The room is small, half the size of their cell which is already pretty cramped as it is. 

"We're not worth watching," Baekhyun continues. 

There's no cameras. 

"--waiting until we stop making sense first." 

Yixing steps forward, he's already right behind him, he could reach out and touch warm skin. 

"Make yourself at home in this humble--home Hyung." Baekhyun turns around then. "Sit down." he pats the space next to him before he finally turns his head. He's bruised across the bridge of his nose, red edges one of his iris', the hemorrhage looks stark against the dark brown of his eye, the fiery edge of an eclipse. 

Yixing feels a shiver go right through him. 

"Baekhyun--"

"I'm fine," Baekhyun replies. He sounds tired. "Junmyeon Hyung kept me safe so don't worry." His lips curl fondly. 

"Where did they take Junmyeon?" 

"Probably another victory tour location," Baekhyun shrugs turning back around, his face hidden once more. "He's been on the most wanted for years now." 

"I know," Yixing finally sits down, slumps over, rests his elbows on his knees. "just--"

"Just what?" 

Yixing sighs so deeply he draws Baekhyun's attention back to him. "I don't know actually." he sounds bitter. He leans back then, his head knocks gently against the wall. 

Baekhyun climbs right on top of him. Pins him down with his thighs. 

"Do you still think this is worth it?" Baekhyun asks again. He leans in close, brushes the tip of his nose against Yixing's cheek. "If we get out of here, I don't even think the rebels will want us either." 

Yixing feels something in his chest constrict, a tense that aches before the relax that he cannot feel. 

Even then he says, "Yes," he in turn nuzzles his nose against Baekhyun's cheek. "yes, yes." he breathes. Baekhyun sinks right into him, his dead weight pressing down Yixing's chest. 

"I don't know if I can agree anymore." Baekhyun chokes, he shuts his eyes and hides against Yixing's throat. 

He smells like sweat and smoke, his fingers press insistently at Yixing's ribcage. Like he could dig the answer out if he tried hard enough. 

He uses his teeth to bite them out of Yixing's mouth. 

"Yes-- you can--I'll help you--of course I'll help you--" Yixing's biting his lips back, someone draws blood, he feels the copper burst on his tongue but he doesn't care whose it is. He’s holding Baekhyun's face in his hands, thick strands caught between his fingers that make Baekhyun's mouth go slack if he pulls. 

Baekhyun's just whining in his mouth, a frustrated angry hiss that Yixing doesn't know how to alleviate. No matter what he tries. 

Not when he mouths wet down Baekhyun's throat.

Not when he counts the knobs of Baekhyun's back with gentle fingers. 

Not when he sticks his hand down the front of Baekhyun's pants and strokes relentlessly until Baekhyun's just strung out on top of him. 

There's another ache blooming in his chest that he can't pinpoint. He wishes Baekhyun could just tell him what's wrong. Why is he hurt? Why is he isolated like Junmyeon? Why won't he tell them what's going on?

Baekhyun shifts his hips back and forth, his cock staggering through the circle of Yixing's fingers until he comes on a low broken hum. 

Baekhyun looks up into his face with an expression that's so indescribable Yixing hides from it by shutting his eyes. 

"Please, Baekhyun." Yixing says. He opens his eyes and Baekhyun looks like he's about to say something. He can see the almost break in his parted lips, wet with his spit. 

"Hyung," he says instead. "Minseok Hyung is probably worried." As if noticing the strong grip he has buried in Yixing's shirt he pulls it away as if burned. As if he were trying to save himself the pain. "I'll still be here." 

 

...

 

Sehun presses his cheek to Yixing's shoulder the next day, he picks at his rice with his fingers. "We'll be out of here soon right Hyung?" 

"Eat Sehun," Yixing exhales sharply through his nose, "We'll do this right Sehun." A pinched dimple shows up on his cheek, it's not a happy one, simply a tight pull of skin over his thinner cheeks. 

"We should move quickly," Minseok murmurs against his bread. "the bomb is done--it's been done-- yet we just--"

"Hyung," Jongdae pats Minseok's shoulder, "everyone's restless and the moment we decide to will be the right one okay?" 

Minseok nods. He finishes his breakfast in silence. 

... 

Chanyeol's tapping his fingers against the doorway the next day after dinner. "Jongdae Hyung will go with Kyungsoo to the electrical room down the hall first with Yixing Hyung who will get Junmyeon Hyung and Baekhyun and after that?" His voice is a low hum that rest of them barely catch. 

"We regroup in the stairwell and then leave out of the front as soon as possible." Minseok reiterates. "I won't have us put back at square one -- we can't fail here." 

"Alright," Jongdae's bouncing his knee, "Let's go then." 

He's smiling.

"Be careful Hyungs," Jongin makes sure to say before Yixing, Jongdae and Kyungsoo slip out through the door. Security is rather sparse after dinner, Kyungsoo incapacitates one quickly right outside of the room, it's Jongdae that picks the lock open this time. 

"Shit, there's no keys on him." Kyungsoo says before he drags the body into the room with them. 

It takes Jongdae two minutes with the descriptions Sehun had told him before he's pressing the bomb between the main breaker box and a set of angry looking bare power cables. 

"It's not the most elegant thing, but we should go--there's about five minutes before it catches." Jongdae says quickly double checking if he finds the spot sufficient before he's hurrying back out with the other two at his heels. 

Yixing leads them down the hall to the solitary cells. Jongdae mentions how it smells like there's a disease down here but he's quickly quieted by the taps of metal as Yixing picks the lock of the one he knows to be Baekhyun's cell. 

He's not there. 

Yixing goes empty, he almost drops the pick. The room is completely empty. No blankets, no clothing--

"Yixing-- Hyung we have to continue--" Kyungsoo's pulling at his arm. When Yixing doesn't budge, he slips the pick out from between his fingers and continues down the row looking for Junmyeon. 

"Yixing," Jongdae looks immediately sober, "maybe it's better he's not here for this--" he’s abruptly distracted by the sound of Kyungsoo who seems to have found Junmyeon just four cells down. "We have to go, maybe we can grab him if they come back in time alright?" 

That's what Yixing has to settle for so he takes a deep breath to calm himself. Kyungsoo's making his way back to them with Junmyeon who's giving them both a curious and wondrous look.

Jongdae holds Junmyeon's face in his hands, "It's good to see you Hyung but we have to escape now before I can do this properly." he smiles and then they're half running back the way they came. 

They pass the cell, now empty and assume the next part of the plan in regrouping in the stairwell is next. The one flight of stairs passes incredibly fast, so fast, Yixing's arm is pulled back by Sehun just as he's about to open the door onto the first floor. 

Sehun, Chanyeol, and Minseok simultaneously notice the missing one when they hear the deep thud of the detonation. A gentle rattle that makes the ceiling shiver briefly before going still. 

The sprinklers go off a second later and Kyungsoo's shouting that they need to get out now because the door above them has just flown open. They're dashing through the doorway, down a long hall when they hear the first gunshot. Yixing lifts up his hands in front of himself the moment Jongin jerks erratically to avoid the trail of the next one, his right foot slides out from under him against the water soaked linoleum but Yixing keeps him upright. 

The lights are flickering on and off, lights up the sprinkle in a yellow as if it were confetti falling. 

Kyungsoo spins on his heel, both hands going back to grip one of the guard's gun arm, he cracks it straight over his knee. Before Kyungsoo can do it, Minseok has lifted the small pistol and shoots him dead through the forehead and suddenly red is weaving through the water like ink on wet paper. Sehun is in the front looking for the right door while Yixing and Jongin cover his back. 

With an almost happy shout Sehun swings the door open that leads out into the entrance offices. They're rushing through when another blast, this time stronger than the first occurs. It's strong enough to shake the building, the electricity goes completely out this time. A few sparks trickle down from blown out bulbs like molten rain, they sputter and the sprinklers go out too and they're suddenly dunked into a thick silence where they can only hear their own heaving breaths and the sounds of heavier boots behind them as they race forward. 

Sehun and Jongin push as hard as they can at one of the iron gateway doors, no longer electric powered it moves a bit slower than they would like but it moves nonetheless and they run through it. The faster they get outside, the faster they can hide and continue on with the rest of the plan. 

Junmyeon has to pull Yixing out the front door with all his strength, "We have to go Yixing--" 

And then they're pelting across the asphalt towards the rise of crowded apartment complexes and alleys narrow enough cars cannot fit through them. It's raining. 

There's a stitch in Yixing's side when they slow down fifteen minutes later, crouched behind a crop of industrial sized trash bins. Minseok's shoulder to shoulder with Yixing and Jongdae who's clutching his side but he's smiling. They're not out yet. Chanyeol's leaning against one of the roof drain pipes, his hair plastered to his face, it throws the faded bruises on his cheeks into a great relief. 

Junmyeon's squatting on the ground between Jongin and Sehun who's staring at Junmyeon like he might not be real. 

Junmyeon's breathing hard when he says, "Jongdae, you Yixing and Sehun are going with me. Chanyeol, you take Kyungsoo and Minseok and Jongin and find a car. We can move faster in two groups. Drive as far as you can to Yongin, ditch the cars and we'll meet somewhere at city limits and go in together. We have to go before they start shutting down roads and creating check points." 

The ease with which Junmyeon takes the reins makes Yixing feel as wholly inadequate as he's ever been in his time as Junmyeon's second in command. 

For both their benefits, they find a pair of cars nestled behind a closed down for the night corner store. They hurry up and over the curb, Jongdae and Chanyeol even make it a competition to see who can hot wire their car first. 

"Hyung," Jongdae tugs at Yixing's sleeve, it's time to go." Jongdae looks sympathetic, tries to straighten the sweater Yixing's wearing with gentle hands, "I trust him Hyung, he'll find his way to us. If there's anything Baekhyun's good at, it's never losing us." He smiles. "I miss him too so please don't feel like you're ever in this alone." His eyes are bright even in the echo of the street light across from them. "--Chanyeol I thought you said you were fast?" 

Chanyeol grunts, the motor finally coming to life, "I'm just rusty Jongdae." 

The thud of the door closing almost drowns the distant alarms in the suction of the car. Sehun pulls out onto the street after Chanyeol does in the first car. 

And then Seoul is behind them within half an hour. 

Eventually they're driving through autumn painted spruces and yews. Forests that surround city limits and between them. It's long and dark, Yixing counts the long reaching street lights every few feet, they zoom past in seconds. Chanyeol winds through and around main roads, Sehun following easily behind. 

Yixing falls asleep to the sounds of the rain on the roof of the car and even more so when Junmyeon turns on the radio for news. 

...

Having no previous connections to the area previously, Junmyeon had made an immediately safe bet at hiding in one of his earliest safe houses he hadn't used in almost a decade. 

It's a cramped unused apartment built perhaps too close to a temple, the back faces a shroud of trees while the front is perched into a rolling hill face. 

They'd ditched the cars somewhere near the edge of Seongnam and hiked in via more back roads shrouded in camphors to Yongin. 

They're huddled together on the floor of the apartment with the lights off while Junmyeon digs through a box he'd taken from one of the rooms. 

"Just how I left it." Junmyeon says, it's almost six in the morning. He brushes some dust off the radio before he sets it onto one of the counters, he pulls out the antennae and begins winding the battery. The moment it springs to life, Junmyeon lowers the volume enough it becomes a back ground hum. But they can still make out the words, the search is headed up north towards the Jungno portion of Seoul where they have reason to believe they could be hiding out. 

Even though Junmyeon sighs deep he says, "We should be safe for now, get some sleep." 

They fall asleep huddled together on the floor, none of them losing sight of each other. 

They fall asleep telling each other that Baekhyun's safe and he'll be here soon. 

It's on the fourth day in the safe house that the authorities recover the warehouse of premium cocaine sealed in soda cans and boxed in a series of trucks in the northward outskirts of the Jungno district. 

Junmyeon sits there on the floor, he'd pulled out a few flats of water he'd stocked a while ago for them, some dry cereal. He twiddles his thumbs. "That's not important anymore-- we come first." He says. 

Minseok can't help but feel a little discouraged but Junmyeon's right and he focuses more on the task at hand. Finding Baekhyun. 

"That's only about 45% of it anyway." Junmyeon waves a dismissive hand. 

Jongdae's lying across one of the couches, Minseok's sitting between his legs with his knees nestled beneath his chin. Chanyeol's on the floor giving Jongin one cereal piece at a time and Sehun three. Sehun looks unimpressed, but he still eats what Chanyeol gives him each time. Kyungsoo's counting the stocks of their resources and taking small naps between the lulls in conversation, Yixing's between him and Junmyeon leaning back against a few flats of water. 

It's a full week later when they hear the Gangnam facility they were taken to is being shut down indefinitely for countless humane violations, all the other prisoners will be transferred to rehabilitation facilities in hopes they'll assimilate back into society. Some of them are being taken to a different facility across town, the one Junmyeon was taken to when he was arrested the first time. Before he escaped on his own. 

Yixing finds small knives hidden in flower pots and desk drawers, considering knives are Junmyeon's weapon of choice of course he's prepared. 

"Internal investigation huh?" Chanyeol's fiddling around with one of the pocket knives he'd found hidden in the toilet bowl tank, he flicks it open and closed again. "they had it coming." he shrugs. 

"That's doesn't mean the search is over," Junmyeon says handing him a bowl of hot noodles. "They've just passed us onto the next surely." 

"I know that," Chanyeol whines, he still takes the bowl. The dinner table is small and round, hardly big enough to fit eight, the cloth is floral. Jongdae had complimented it and Junmyeon lit up like a Christmas tree. "Hyung, it's time to eat," he calls into the living room where the rest of them are perusing old newspaper clippings Junmyeon had collected when he was a lot younger. 

Yixing accepts the soup, it tastes like gourmet compared to what they were subjected to in the prison. He thanks Junmyeon--well Kyungsoo for making it but Junmyeon for bringing it to him and digs in.

With the authorities still caught up in Jungno, the others have relaxed just a bit, they hear on the radio of a large scale protest happening in Jeonju and know with their case becoming as cold as it is so quickly they'll become myth once more. They've relaxed enough to start using the two bedrooms, however they still take shifts to watch just in case, just for a little while. With no signs of Baekhyun and still no concrete plans of knowing where to begin searching for him, they're at a little bit of a stand still. 

It's Yixing's turn to take watch, a smooth one am to three before Jongdae takes over for him. Yixing feels safe enough to have a little lamp light, still pretty dim but it's better than sitting in the dark. The radio is off now, the apartment so silent it makes Yixing uncomfortable. 

While Kyungsoo had thrown that gun he lifted off that dead officer somewhere out of the window on the way out of Seoul just in case it could be tracked, Minseok kept the unregistered pistol, there's still two bullets in it so Yixing has it next to his hip just in case. 

He's nodding off a bit even though he knows he shouldn't. 

He hears the tapping of the lock being picked and he's suddenly wide awake. He shuts off the lamp as quietly as possible, and picks up the gun. Yixing positions himself right behind the blindspot of the door, if it's one, he can handle it but he'll shout for the others if he has to. 

The figure is small, the gait familiar but Yixing still pins him immediately to the floor. 

"Is there anyone else? Are you the only one--"

"I wasn't followed I swear," Baekhyun squeaks. 

Yixing pushes the door shut with his foot. He gets off of Baekhyun quickly, stumbles off him until his back hits the wood of the door. He's breathing hard, in disbelief. He watches Baekhyun's small figure fiddle with the lamp until it turns on. 

He's wearing what looks like a police officer's uniform, it's rumpled like it's the only pair of clothes he's had for a few days. There's no affiliation badge, but Yixing can tell by the standard nature of it. 

"It took me almost a week to lose them," He smiles, "three days, a new record probably." Baekhyun tries to joke but his eyes go a bit watery. 

Yixing's literally speechless. 

"Baekhyun--"

"I won't reveal my methods but let's just say Junmyeon's told me about this place before alright." Baekhyun seems to flounder after that, like he'd run out of script. "Yixing," he says quietly. "Hyung, can I sit next to you? I won't touch you."

Yixing just stares at him for a moment, also at a loss for words. "Of course," he says a moment later. He watches Baekhyun crawl back over to him, closer and closer with those bright eyes and that playful mouth. 

Baekhyun leaves a good five inches between them, he nestles his knees under his chin. "I have to tell you something Hyung," he links his fingers together. "I can't guarantee that you'll take this well either --but -- well-- I'll try to make it up to you." Baekhyun says looking at the carpet. "I'll try and make it up to everyone."

When Yixing doesn't respond Baekhyun continues. "I don't know if this is even something I could possibly apologize for but everything I did-- I did it to protect us." something in his voice goes small and broken. "I fed them information so they would keep their fucking--hands off us. And the only way I could stomach it was to distance myself." Baekhyun's still speaking into the space between his knees. "I'll do anything if it means keeping you--" he chokes, "--when I asked you if this was still worth it, I was being honest." Baekhyun finally plucks up the courage to turn his head that little bit to give Yixing everything he can offer with his eyes alone.

Yixing can only find it in himself to just stare back at him, in complete disbelief, because if he doesn't he could burst into tears. 

"Baekhyun, I'm not--I guess I'm not angry, but--I don't know if there was ever a better choice." Yixing chews his lip. "Some things have to be done--"

"I sold out an entire stronghold to keep this Hyung. I was selfish and I may have fucked up everything for this." 

"I guess you have your answer then Baekhyun." It's Yixing's turn to stare at the carpet. He clenches his fists when he hears the first sob. Baekhyun's trying so hard to keep it in, but each one bursts forth against his wishes. 

Yixing's never found it easy to see Baekhyun or any of the others cry. "Baekhyunnie," he says gently, he reaches out a hand and covers one of Baekhyun's. Baekhyun doesn't shove him off, instead he nuzzles further between his knees as if if he were flexible enough he could just disappear if he kept going. 

Baekhyun sniffles, his breath chokes around another forceful cry he can’t stop and he buries his face between his knees as far he can. 

“Baekhyun, look at me.” Yixing says gently, “look at us. We might still be in there if you hadn’t done what you did.” he clenches his fist and inhales sharply, “I wouldn’t have been capable Baekhyun.” Yixing shuts his eyes tightly, “I’m not capable—”

Baekhyun turns to him then, cheeks puffed out and eyes watery and red. He’s glaring. 

“I’m not Baekhyun,” Yixing says shaking his head. “Junmyeon always makes it look so easy—”

“You took care of us the best you could,” Baekhyun says a bit muffled, “it doesn’t mean you were bad, you did great.” 

“I guess no one can do it as well as Junmyeon,” Yixing says dryly. 

“Junmyeon Hyung gives you responsibilities because he knows you’re capable Hyung.” his tone is a watery fond. 

Yixing exhales slowly, pauses at that. Breathes in through his teeth.

When he can’t find a suitable reply, Yixing looks down at his own hand, fingers still pressed against the bone of Baekhyun’s knuckles. He brushes his finger back and forth against the soft skin in the small crevices between each knuckle. He breathes slowly as if calming himself. 

“You’ve only enabled me Baekhyun,” Yixing says a little rueful. “If you hadn’t—”

“You helped me and maybe,” Baekhyun puffs out his cheeks again, “maybe I helped you.” He purses his lips, “you’re so stubborn sometimes Hyung. Why can’t you just be angry at me for once?”

Yixing takes in that tone, the same one that complains when he takes too much time drawing up plans that could last actual years and yet in that same tone is a wonder that’s in awe of the delicacy of deliberation Yixing puts into each and every piece. 

“I won’t say I’m not,” Yixing says and Baekhyun goes quiet. Yixing raises an eyebrow, “I understand that sometimes sacrifices are made Baekhyun—”

“Hyung—”

“It’s the nature of this.” Yixing rubs his temple with his free hand. “I can’t blame you for being selfish—I think—any of us—”

“Hyung—”

“You come first Baekhyun.” Yixing says quietly, he watches one of the Baekhyun’s fingers of his other hand venture out to touch Yixing’s. Baekhyun’s bottom lip trembles but he holds it in.

“We’re all we have.” Baekhyun murmurs, “we’d all be alone if—I’d probably be dead somewhere if Hyung hadn’t—” 

“We’re strong Baekhyun. We’ll adapt.” 

Baekhyun unfolds like a cheap lawn chair, body unraveling limply like he can finally feel the relaxation after the tense. He buries his ruffle of hair against Yixing’s shoulder and shuts his eyes. 

“You’re home now Baekhyun.”

Yixing spends the next two hours murmurs anything and everything against Baekhyun's cheek, at some point it tickles and Baekhyun chokes out a laugh loud enough Jongdae wanders out thinking he's over slept past his shift or something. He takes one look at Baekhyun nestled against Yixing and dashes back into the rooms to presumably get everyone else up.

Junmyeon lets Baekhyun wait until morning to tell him what he needs to. 

Baekhyun explains everything over the same dry granola everyone's been eating for the past week.

Sehun's already plastered himself to Baekhyun's other side, he presses his cheek up against Baekhyun's and whines mercilessly about leaving them in the dark so long. Chanyeol's listening while he picks out the good pieces in a granola mix. He plays stubborn for about five minutes before he's nuzzling his head into the spot between Baekhyun's shoulder blades. Minseok pinches his cheek so hard Baekhyun nearly starts crying again at the pain of it. Kyungsoo kisses his temple and smiles because he's glad Baekhyun's okay more than anything while Jongin curls himself behind Sehun as an extension of him. 

Baekhyun knows he's made a sizable dent in their reputation and relationship with the other groups of rebels. He knows and accepts the possibility that they may have to take some of their leftover stock and leave for a while.

"It's possible to run counter operations from outside the country," Junmyeon says. "We can try."

**Author's Note:**

> i had perhaps too much fun writing this and considering it was a wildly different genre than I'm used to I thought I couldn't do it, but I'm glad i challenged myself for this.


End file.
